“Death in life” must happen in this life if we are truly to live. We have to encounter an event that overturns our agenda, our way of being in the world, our very sense of self.

To listen carefully to an arguing group is to gain a peculiar glimpse into the desires and anxieties of that group.

To be a Christian is to accept the story in which we find ourselves. It is to know that our actions do have consequences. We cannot simply wait for a better world to come along.

We spend billions each year on avoiding pain through pharmaceuticals or self-medicating through alcohol and drugs. But we must not forget that pain and suffering are not the enemy.